


A field of golden flowers

by Ajalea



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: (though it erases canon completely), Auguste is a kind brother, Everybody Lives, Flower Crowns, Gen, Gifts, Let Kids Be Kids, Pre-Canon, Smaurent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-11-23 14:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11404425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ajalea/pseuds/Ajalea
Summary: Instead of fighting the war where Damen kills Auguste, Damen and Laurent meet as kids. Cuteness (and some awkwardness) ensues.All it takes are a few flowers and a horse.Damen's pov





	A field of golden flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo, this was originally meant as a ~1.5k drabble ^^''''' Oops? The idea started with Smaurent (smol Laurent) giving Damen a flowercrown, because who doesn't love those, but once I started the build up to that scene, it just got longer and longer and in the end, I didn't even use the flowercrown D: Dishonor on me _and_ my cow, I know. I did, however, use the idea, so there's still flowers involved somewhere. 
> 
> Laurent is about 7-8, Damen 12-13 (but before the sparring "accident" with Kastor) and Auguste is 18-19. The dads are dads and dads are ageless :p
> 
> *technically the flowers are white but who cares? :'D

It was high summer when the Kings of Akielos and Vere met in the fort of Marlas. Peace negotiations had been going on for more than two years and the two Kings had decided it was time to face one another for the first time. And not as enemies. 

Both, actually, did a remarkable thing with their first meeting. Aleron, King of Vere, brought his two sons with the knowledge that Theomedes, King of Akielos, planned on bringing the heir to his throne. Both Kings hoped that their allegiance would transfer to their children and strengthen those bonds even further. 

Kastor, Theomedes’ bastard son, had joined the Akielon army just before the negotiations started and refused to acknowledge the peace his father and King Aleron pursued. Theomedes let him be, recognizing the youthful stubbornness he had once possessed. 

The province of Delpheur, or Delpha for the Akielons, managed to keep its neutrality throughout peace negotiations. It was in everyone’s best interest to keep the peace and so they did. Not even bandits managed to disrupt it. 

Damen looked over the fields of flowers that surrounded him. With permission of his father he was riding ahead of the troop destined for Marlas. With some regret, Damen stayed on his horse, his wish to jump off and run through the fields as great as the horse he rode. But he had promised his father that he would behave like a Prince, and jumping off a horse and running through the fields was not part of that. 

Already, Damen was making plans on escaping his Royal Guard and sneaking off to play. Kastor nor Nikandros were there to keep him from doing what he wanted, as they were most of his impulse control. Without them, he could do whatever he wanted. 

The fort was the first building of that size Damen saw in the Veretian style. Normally, it would look threatening and intimidating, but now King Aleron had made sure the Akielon delegation would feel welcome by having numerous colored tents around the entrance to the fort and banners hanging on the outside. Once they got closer, Damen could see more details of the Veretian handiwork. Even with military buildings like this, Vere had a painstakingly good eye for detail. Damen’s child’s eye could see that. 

King Theomedes called his son back to his side. “Remember what I said, son.”

“Yes, Father.” Damen knew what his father meant and positioned himself like a real Prince, someone his father would be proud of. “Father?” 

“What is it, Damianos?” Theomedes stroke his beard in an attempt to make it look better. Damen knew his father  only did that when he was nervous. That gesture calmed some of Damen’s nerves too. 

“What do I need to do when I meet the Princes?” Damen tried to not let the worry sound through his voice. 

Theomedes looked at his son. “You will follow protocol first. Should you meet them outside the meetings, then I want you to be nice to them.” He turned back to the fort. “There will be consequences if you disrupt our negotiations in any way, do you understand?” 

Damen nodded. “Yes, Father.” 

A lone figure was waiting for them in front of the entrance. He was joined by two smaller figures once the Akielons were close enough to distinguish body features. 

Damen quickly understood that the people waiting for them were King Aleron, Crown Prince Auguste and Prince Laurent. Without any guards they stood outside as a sign of goodwill. Laurent was holding his brother’s hand, staying very close to him. 

Aleron was smiling as he spread his arms. “Welcome, my guests.” He said, in heavily accented Akielon. To Damen, it was the most un-kingly greeting he had ever heard. Much like Theomedes, Aleron wasn’t wearing his crown and the Princes, like Damen, weren’t wearing a headdress either. 

Theomedes dismounted and gestured Damen do the same. It almost looked like the two Kings would hug. Instead, they went for a Veretian bow and an Akielon handshake. Like equals. 

Damen was told that everything would be equaled, so neither nation would top the other in any way. In a way, Damen thought that too much trouble, yet, he was assured, it was for the best. Exact equality meant that neither nation would be offended by getting less than the other. 

Their horses were taken over by stable boys, most of them about Damen’s age, as Aleron led them inside the fort, his sons following closely. 

Damen held his head high, not wanting to show any nerves in front of the foreign monarch. His clothing – no armor of course, even if he could have fit into that already – was immaculate, unlike his feet, where the dust from the road had reached. 

To distract himself from himself, Damen studied the Princes. Auguste was older than him by six years, and with his long blond hair and regal clothing, he looked as much Crown Prince as Damen wanted to be. He was only a little taller than Damen, who, for his age, was extremely tall already. 

Theomedes liked to tell his son that Damen would grow taller, even taller than himself and Kastor, though Damen wasn’t so sure yet. Every time Damen tried to argue against it, Theomedes claimed that tallness was in his royal blood. 

It surprised him, however, that the younger Prince, looked quite the opposite of Auguste’s regality. 

Laurent’s shiny blond hair, coming to his shoulders, was lighter than Auguste’s and Aleron’s and it was the only thing that looked presentable. He wore an outfit – not nearly as regal as Auguste – with laces everywhere and most of them were untied. 

Laurent didn’t seem to notice. He was looking up to Auguste, who whispered something to him. Even from a distance, Damen saw Laurent’s eyes sparkle as he talked to his brother. Quietly, he wondered if he ever did the same thing with Kastor. Perhaps his father would know, if he dared to ask. 

During a late lunch, Vere sat across from Akielos. Damen would have thought that the Kings would keep to themselves outside the negotiations, but they proved otherwise. Before, Theomedes had, again, explained why Kastor wasn’t able to join them and now Aleron was telling a story about his own family. As a sign of respect on the Akielon side, Theomedes and Damen spoke Veretian, something Aleron appreciated. 

“You see, Brother King, my wife is a Vaskian beauty. The Vaskian women like to birth daughters, so they can keep the children with them and raise them. Unfortunately for my wife, she got two boys instead.” He laughed heartily. “One day, when young Laurent still was a smaller child, his brother dressed him up in a noblewoman’s dress and presented him to their mother as her new daughter.” His laugh resounded through the whole room. “I have never seen her love her children more than at that moment.” 

Theomedes, laughed at the idea of Laurent in a dress, in his most non-ridiculing way. Damen, too, smiled, until he saw the look of shame on Laurent’s face. Damen’s smile quickly disappeared.

It was embarrassing how during their first informal conversation, Aleron had to tell Theomedes a story that made Laurent uncomfortable. 

Meanwhile Auguste, who had also noticed his little brother’s discomfort, nudged his father softly and whispered something to him. Aleron listened to him, nodded and turned to Damen. Damen felt like he shrank a few inches under that blue-eyed gaze.

“My son would like to know if you want to spend some time with him and his little brother when your father and I are busy tomorrow.”

Damen eyed his father really quickly, remembering his words. “I would be honored.”

Aleron nodded appreciatively. “Very well. Auguste will see to the details after this meal.”

Damen turned his eyes back to his lunch, unsure what to think of the request of doing something with the foreign Princes. A whole lot could go wrong if they didn’t like him. Instead of voicing his worries to his father, he listened to him and Aleron talking to each other as if they had been friends all their lives. 

~~~

Damen was just finishing carving a wooden horse while sitting on his bed – something he’d learned from Kastor – when a knock fell on his door. A servant appeared, asking if the Prince had time to receive the other Prince. Damen gestured to let Auguste in. 

Auguste was alone, which somehow surprised Damen, though they hadn’t known each other for more than a day. He looked confident in his intricate Veretian clothing, only his eyes were different. They were looking through the room, searching for something to talk about. In the end, Auguste’s eyes fell on Damen. 

“Prince Damianos –”

Damen interrupted with a frown. “Damen. My friends call me Damen.” He remembered his father’s words about being nice to the foreign Princes. What was nicer than trying to be friends with them?

Auguste smiled at that. “Damen. Let’s drop all the formalities then, shall we? We’re among friends after all.” He hinted at Damen’s statement from seconds before. 

Damen nodded, once, his frown disappearing. 

Auguste’s smile widened. It looked good on him, Damen decided. It made him look like his age, whereas his normal face didn’t look right for a nineteen-year-old. Too old. “My little brother and I were discussing what you would like to do today, but wouldn’t it just be faster if we asked?”

Damen considered his options for a moment. “I want to go outside,” he decided, “outside the fort.”

Auguste let out a breathy laugh. “Laurent guessed right then.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Personally, I had no idea what you had in mind for today. Laurent, on the other hand, was convinced you wanted to go outside the walls. Too Veretian for your liking?” Auguste had no malice in his voice. 

Damen looked around him, at the subtle Veretian details. “No, I like being outside, that’s all.”

“I’ll get Laurent. He tends to… roam when he thinks no one is looking.” Auguste spoke almost apologetically. 

Damen liked to think he understood Laurent’s wanderlust. “I’ll ask the kitchen if they can spare us some food.” 

“Spare us some food?” Auguste snorted most un-prince-like. “I think they’d give you half the pantry if you asked. And only half because the other half is meant for our fathers.”

Damen cracked a smile at that. He stood, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Auguste returned the smile. “We’ll meet at the gates.” With that, they parted ways. 

Damen tried to look at least a little guilty when he stood in the kitchen. Everyone around him was working hard to provide an elaborate lunch for the three Princes. The head chef had instructed that they could only eat the best of the best and nothing less. Damen let them, knowing that interfering wouldn’t work. 

When he walked outside, holding a heavy basket with both hands, a stable boy was already waiting for him with Damen’s horse. Behind him, Auguste and Laurent were sitting on their horses, Laurent’s much smaller than Damen’s even. 

Damen handed the basket to the stable boy to tie to the saddle and mounted his horse. 

Auguste said something to his little brother, too soft for Damen to hear, and Laurent laughed, a pleasant sound in Damen’s ears. 

The gates opened and Auguste turned to Damen. “Are you coming?” 

To respond, Damen kicked his horse into motion and drove past the blond Princes through the gates. 

Laurent, excited for a race, was the first of the two to react and took off. Auguste followed. 

When Damen looked behind him, he saw Laurent trying very hard to catch up with him and Auguste casually trailing after them, apparently happy enough to let the two younger Princes compete. Laurent’s excitement made Damen smile too. 

Damen had no intention of letting Laurent win their race. He pushed his horse harder until he heard the two horses behind him fall behind. He stopped at some very old ruins, smiling happily. 

Laurent didn’t look so happy. “You cheated,” he pouted. 

“I did.”

“You have a bigger horse.”

“I do.”

“Then what about me, my little brother?” Auguste came up next to Laurent. 

Laurent’s pout disappeared when he turned to his brother with a serious look. “I’m just a better rider than you.” 

“I see.” Auguste pulled a sad face. “You were kind enough to let Damen win though.” Auguste gave Damen a wink as Laurent turned away from him. 

It took Laurent a few seconds to process what Auguste had said, but then he broke out in an even brighter smile. 

“That’s right, I did let you win!” 

Damen didn’t know what to say, so he stayed silent and instead watched how Laurent tried to get out of his saddle. He dismounted his own horse when he saw the little Prince was struggling. 

“Do you need a hand?” Damen asked as he offered both. 

Laurent looked like he wanted to say no, but a quick look at Auguste, who still sat on his horse, told him not to. He reached out to Damen, who gently pulled him from his horse. 

In the next moment, Auguste stood next to them. “What do you say to Damen, Laurent?”

Laurent looked away from Damen. “Thank you,” he mumbled, just loud enough for Damen to hear. 

“Are you hungry?” Damen let go of Laurent, who shook his head. “Then, what is it you want to do?”

Laurent had to think about that. He scrunched up his face, as if he had trouble which game to play.

“How about you close your eyes, Damen and I will hide and you can come find us?” Auguste suggested, interrupting Laurent’s thoughts, “it’ll be even more fun with the three of us.”

Laurent agreed to the idea by closing his eyes and counting down from twenty. 

“Don’t peek,” Auguste warned before he sped off behind the ruins. 

Damen ran the other way, into the tall grass, filled with white flowers. He had been right, it really was nice to run through it. He saw a particular tall-grassed spot and hid there, not too far from Laurent, who was nearly at zero. 

Through a gap, Damen was able to see Laurent already looking around as he said the last few numbers. 

The first thing Laurent did after reaching zero was running into the direction where Auguste was hiding. Within seconds, Auguste had been found out. Laurent cheered. 

Auguste silenced him, though loud enough for Damen to hear. “Remember, the game isn’t over yet.”

Laurent, who was visible to Damen, put a finger to his lips to show his brother he understood. Leaving Auguste alone again, Laurent searched around the ruins for Damen, who was watching him. 

Auguste appeared from behind a column, only to sit down on a low stone wall. Meanwhile, Laurent returned to him very often and his eyes kept darting to Damen’s hiding spot. 

To Damen, it seemed like Laurent knew where Damen was – probably from cheating during his countdown – but didn’t want the game to end. When it became too obvious the little Prince knew where he was hiding, Damen rustled the grass around him with his hands to grab his attention. 

Laurent immediately ran up to him. “I found you!”

Damen put his hands up in defeat. “Good job finding both of us.” He gave him a smile. 

Laurent shone with pride as they walked back together to Auguste, Laurent’s hand close to grabbing Damen’s. 

Damen went past Auguste to untie the food basket and set it down on the ground between the three of them. 

“I asked for only the best,” Damen said to Auguste, who laughed softly. 

“Let’s see if they followed your orders then,” Auguste winked. 

They let Laurent spread a blanket as Auguste and Damen unpacked the food and placed everything on top of it. 

“Wow,” Laurent was impressed. “I’ve never picnicked before.”

Auguste shot him a look. “Yes you have, though maybe you don’t remember it.”

Laurent returned his brother’s look, a smaller yet exact copy. “Nope, never.”

“Very well,” Auguste let out a dramatically long sigh. 

They ate in silence, except for Auguste sometimes chastising Laurent for playing with his food. 

Damen watched the two interact. Laurent was doing his best to mimic all of Auguste’s mannerisms. Whether the older Prince noticed, Damen didn’t know. Laurent even took it one step further. Whenever Auguste grabbed a piece of fruit, Laurent made sure to grab one of the same, only he pulled a face at most fruits he ate. 

“Here,” Damen offered one he hadn’t tried yet, “this one is sweet.”

Laurent took it with a shy thanks. He studied the fruit curiously. 

Damen grabbed one of his own. “It’s a fig.” He had to search for the right Veretian word, pronouncing it first in Akielon. “Let me show you how to peel it.” He twisted off the stem and waited for Laurent to do the same, then peeled the skin off. 

“There you go, all ready to eat.” Damen presented his skinless fig. 

Laurent looked at his uncertainly, but Auguste encouraged him to take a bite and so he did. His eyes widened. “It  _ is _ sweet.”

Damen laughed heartily. “I told you so. Do you like it?”

Laurent took one more experimental bite and then nodded. “I do.”

“Then, do you want mine too?” Damen reached out with the fig in his hand. “I like pulling sour faces more,” he added when he noticed Laurent’s hesitation. 

Laurent took Damen’s fig and held it while he finished his own. 

Damen grabbed one of the sourer fruits, bit in it and pulled a sour face to Laurent, who laughed. 

Someone approached from the castle. Damen looked behind him and saw one of the servants come closer. 

The servant bowed, slightly out of breath. “Your Highness,” he addressed Auguste, “the Kings want to see you.” 

“Have they said why?” Auguste frowned as he stood. 

“Your Father said they want to have a word with you, that’s all I know.”

“Should Laurent come too?” 

“Your Father is certain Prince Damianos will keep an eye on him while you’re gone.”

“I’m sure Damen will,” Auguste said, regarding Damen with an unconcerned expression. He didn’t wait for Damen to confirm or deny it and went to his horse.

“Will you come back?” Laurent asked with big eyes full of worry. 

Auguste patted him on his head. “You know our Father, so probably not. But Damen will stay with you until you return to the fort.”

“Will you really?” Laurent turned to Damen. 

He nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay with you. 

“Okay.” Laurent stood a little closer to Damen. 

“Let me know when you get back, okay?” Auguste asked Laurent. 

Laurent made his serious face. “I will, Brother,” he promised.  

“Keep an eye on him,” Auguste almost ordered Damen. 

Damen wanted to say he wasn’t a baby-sitter – and that there was little danger in a field with flowers anyway – but couldn’t get the words past his lips. He and Laurent watched together as Auguste rode back to the fort with the servant running behind him. 

“Do you want to hide now?” Damen asked when Auguste was nearly out of sight. 

“But you’re supposed to keep an eye on me.” Laurent sounded confused. 

Damen rolled his eyes. “If I did, I couldn’t blink, could I?” 

Laurent thought about that. “Can I hide now?” He asked eventually. 

“Sure.” Damen closed his eyes and while he counted down from twenty to zero, he listened to where Laurent was going. He considered stretching out the game like Laurent had, but Laurent made it too easy to be discovered. He hardly blended in with his surroundings. 

Every time Damen as much as looked sideways, Laurent was looking around the column – the same as Auguste had used – to see if Damen had spotted him yet. 

Damen sighed to himself. He glanced at Laurent, who quickly hid behind the stone again. In that moment, Damen sneaked as quietly as he could out of Laurent’s direct line of sight. There, he walked between the stone remnants until he saw the boy’s back. 

Laurent had obviously lost Damen and he dared to step out from behind the column to see where Damen had disappeared off to. He retreated slightly, his body beginning to shake with panic. 

Damen didn’t let him wait any longer. He grabbed a small rock and let it fall against the ruins. 

Laurent’s head perked up at the clattering sound. He turned around very slowly until he saw Damen. 

“You found me,” Damen said awkwardly. 

Laurent, not yet at that age that crying becomes awkward, sniffed loudly. “You were supposed to find  _ me _ .”

“I’m sorry,” Damen apologized sincerely, “you’re just the best at finding me.”

Laurent sniffed again, clearly suspicious. 

Damen searched for something that could help. “Let me make it up to you.” He plucked a flower and gave it to Laurent. “This is for you?”

“A flower?” Laurent frowned at the flower in his hand. 

Damen pointed at it. “Not just any flower. This is  _ your _ flower.”

“Oh.” Laurent looked at the flower from all angles, holding it in a different light now. 

Gently, Damen took the flower from Laurent’s hand and put it behind his ear. “It suits you,” he smiled. 

A blush spread over Laurent’s cheeks. “If you get me a flower, you should get one too,” he decided and ran off, leaving Damen alone in the middle of the ruins. 

Damen returned to the blanket with the food still spread out. While waiting for Laurent to find his perfect flower, Damen started packing the leftovers. 

Minutes later, Laurent returned with both fists overflowing with different kinds of flowers. 

“Kneel,” Laurent commanded, just like a real Prince would. 

Damen pulled up an eyebrow, but did as he was commanded. 

Laurent placed the first flower just above his ear. “Your hair is soft,” he commented, brushing his fingers through Damen’s brown curls. 

“Thank you?” Damen said it like a question, not sure what to do with the compliment. 

Laurent combed his fingers through Damen’s hair some more, before carefully putting the rest of the flowers in, one by one. With his head bowed, Damen was still able to see Laurent biting on his lip in concentration. 

“It’s perfect,” Laurent said when he was finished. 

Damen reached to touch it, but Laurent swatted away his hand. 

“You can’t ruin it.”

Damen let it be. Instead, he stood up, making sure his actions were very careful as not to disturb his flowered hair. 

“Do you want to go back to the fort already?” Damen saw the anxious look in the Prince’s eyes. 

Laurent slowly nodded. 

“All right,” Damen said as he packed the last few things. The basket was considerably lighter now. “We’ll have to go slow though, I don’t want to mess up my hair. And your flower needs to be kept safe.”

Laurent nodded again and stepped up to his small horse. He looked at it as if he didn’t know what to do next. 

“Do you need a hand?” Damen tied the basket back on his saddle. 

“No,” Laurent said sternly, which was followed by a softer “yes.” 

Without any complaints, Damen helped Laurent mount his horse.

It took them more than twice as long to get back to the fort, where they were welcomed by both Kings, who had been alerted by the guards. 

“Father, you should see the present I received!” Laurent yelled from a short distance. 

King Aleron approached his son to check out the flower. It had already wilted slightly and Damen hoped Aleron wouldn’t comment on that. 

“What a wonderful gift,” Aleron said instead. “You are very lucky to have Damianos as your friend.”

“Damen, his friends calls him Damen.” Laurent exclaimed proudly. 

Damen wondered where he heard that, until he realized Auguste must have told him before they met up. 

Aleron’s attention went from his son to Damen. Damen could feel himself shrink underneath that gaze. 

Aleron’s eyes swept over the flowers in Damen’s hair. “I see that you returned the favor, my boy.” 

“Of course, Father.” Laurent accepted his father’s approval with pride. 

“Are you boys up to some entertainment?” Aleron asked the both of them. “My Brother King told me he brought one of Akielos’s best performers with him to Marlas.” 

Damen knew who he was talking about and Aleron was right. This performer was one of their court’s regular singers, and along with her knowledge of Akielon poetry, she also knew multiple Veretian songs – taught by her mother, who was a Veretian – and was brought by Theomedes to please his host. Damen was looking forward to her voice, it was nice. 

“I’m looking forward to it.” Laurent said after he dismounted his horse. 

Aleron laughed a threw an arm over Laurent’s shoulders. He led him away, leaving Theomedes alone with his son, who also dismounted. 

“You have been nice to the Princes,” Theomedes commented with a twinkle in his eye. 

Damen gave his father a small smile. “Naturally.” He looked at the royal duo disappearing inside. “They’re nice people. I think they both mean well.”

“I trust your judgment.”

Damen turned to Theomedes. “How did it go with the King?”

“We have come to an agreement sooner than expected.” Theomedes seemed satisfied. “Get a good night’s sleep, I want us to leave early in the morning.”

Hearing his father’s words, Damen experienced mixed feelings. He would’t dare to admit it to anyone else, not even Nikandros, but Laurent – and Auguste so far too – were fun to be with. 

Theomedes must have seen the conflicted look on Damen’s face. “We will come back here soon enough,” he laughed, “and I invited the royal family to come to Ios in a few months, during the winter. My Brother King accepted my offer.”

Damen composed himself. “That’s good. We’ll get to show our own hospitality too.” 

“This is not a competition, Damianos.”

“I’m aware of that, Father.” Though that didn’t mean he didn’t want to show only the best of what Akielos had to offer. 

“Good.” Theomedes dismissed his son. “And, Damianos,” he called him back as Damen was walking away. 

“Yes, Father?”

“Fresh yourself up and get changed. Dinner will be a formal event, and I want you to look immaculate.”

Damen looked down and saw the grass stains on his chiton and knees. “Of course, Father. Shall I leave the flowers?”

Theomedes examined Damen’s hair. “It looks like a crown,” he said, mostly to himself and then, to Damen. “I’ll leave that decision up to you.”

“Very well, I’ll leave them in.” 

Theomedes nodded, dismissing Damen. This time he didn’t call him back. 

~~~

Later that night, Auguste and Damen were playing a type of Akielon chess on a plush rug on the floor. Auguste was quick to catch on to the rules and Damen was trying very hard to stand his ground against him. 

Laurent was blissfully asleep between them, holding Damen’s hand. 

“It’s nice to have both hands available for once.” Auguste commented. 

Damen eyed Laurent. “Is he always this clingy?”

“Sometimes, yes. Mostly when he’s away from home. Laurent is fond of you, to hold your hand like that.”

Damen shifted uncomfortably. “Surely he thinks that he’s holding your hand, not mine.”

Auguste frowned. “My little brother may be young, but he’s not stupid.”

“Understood.” Damen swallowed. 

Auguste moved a piece on the board. “Have I won?”

Damen checked the board to see that Auguste indeed had won their game. “Yes, you beat me.” Damen refused to admit it hurt that he was beaten at one of his nation’s games by a foreigner. 

“If the game’s over, it’s time to put this sleeping ray of sunshine to bed.” Auguste gently lifted Laurent off the ground into his arms. Laurent kept holding onto Damen’s hand though, so he was pulled along. 

“I guess I could use a hand,” Auguste winked. 

Damen rolled his eyes at the pun, but followed him to Laurent’s room. 

Laurent exhaled softly when he felt the softness of his bed. His grip on Damen’s hand tightened. 

“Do you want a book or something?” Auguste asked. “Or do you plan on sleeping soon?”

“Why do you ask?” 

“Back home, Laurent is known to not let go while he’s asleep. He’s also not easy to wake up.”

Damen sighed. “Fine, I’ll sleep here.” He said in a low voice. “You should tell someone I’m here before the whole fort thinks I’m kidnapped.” 

“Good idea.” Auguste laughed softly at the idea. “For now, goodnight.”

He left Damen and Laurent alone, with only a small candle to give Damen some light. 

Damen wondered how he suddenly ended up in bed with a Veretian Prince. Laurent was curled up in a ball, with only his arm sticking out. Damen saw a petal stuck underneath Laurent’s other hand, which was balled into a fist. 

“Why do you treasure that so much?” Damen asked quietly in Akielon in the otherwise silent room. 

Laurent mumbled something incomprehensive, much to Damen’s horror. When it became clear Laurent was still in a deep sleep, Damen let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

Of course Laurent couldn’t have understood him. He chastised himself and before he could do more stupid things, he closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep. 

He woke to the sound of Laurent softly talking. Getting more conscious by the second, Damen could hear what the young Prince was saying. 

“Brother? Where are you?” Laurent repeated multiple times. 

Damen lifted his head, searching in the dark for Laurent’s blond hair. He noticed Laurent had let go of his hand. 

“Where are you?” He was starting to panic. A sob escaped his lips. 

“Laurent?” Damen whispered, the name stranger in his mouth than the other Veretian syllables. 

A ghost of golden hair shot up. “Damen?” Laurent whispered back. 

“What’s wrong?” Damen could vaguely distinguish Laurent’s face. 

A moment of silence. “Nothing,” Laurent finally said, an obvious lie. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” Damen asked as he searched for the boy’s hand with his. 

Laurent made a sound of confirmation. Their hands connected and Laurent held onto Damen like his life depended on it. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Laurent shook his head in the dark. 

Damen took a decision, hoping he wouldn’t go too far for Veretian standards. “Come here,” he pulled Laurent to his chest. “Is this better?”

Laurent nodded against his chest. 

To distract Laurent from the lingering fear of his nightmare, Damen spoke about the first thing that came to mind. “Were you really embarrassed that your brother made you wear a dress?” 

Laurent froze. 

“Why?” Damen pushed. 

“Dresses are for girls and not for boys,” Laurent responded matter-of-factly. 

“And what am I wearing? It sure does look like a dress.” 

“It’s not the same.” 

“Then what would you call it?” Damen counted on Laurent not knowing a word for it with his limited vocabulary. Even Damen didn’t know it in Veretian. 

Laurent remained silent, until Damen gave him a nudge. “A dress,” he admitted. 

“Am I ashamed to wear a dress? Should I be? Should my Father be?” Damen inquired further. “I don’t think the King would like it if you – although you didn’t mean it – insulted his newest ally.” 

“You’re right.” Laurent didn’t sound too convinced. 

“Laurent,” Damen said sternly, the name of the Prince still weird in his mouth, even among the foreign syllables, “there is absolutely no shame in wearing a dress and you’d shame my entire country if you keep feeling embarrassed for what happened.”

“I didn’t mean to.” It came as near to an apology as Damen would get. 

“I know you didn’t, that’s why I told you, so it wouldn’t be a misunderstanding anymore.” 

“Okay,” Laurent said, understanding Damen’s explanation. “Thank you.”

Damen squeezed Laurent’s hand in response. “Where is your flower?”

“I think I crushed it. I’m sorry I ruined your gift.”

“I’ll get you something in the morning to replace it, okay?” Damen patted the hair under his chin. 

Laurent nodded. “Where did you leave yours?” He asked. 

“They’re in my room, next to my own bed, waiting. Maybe they’re lonely.”

“They have each other,” Laurent said. “I don’t want to be lonely.” His grip on Damen’s hand tightened for a second time. 

Damen flinched, Laurent had a strong grip. “You won’t be, not tonight. I’m not going anywhere.”

Laurent snuggled a little closer, now in a comfortable sleeping position. 

“Goodnight, Damen,” Laurent murmured softly. 

Damen closed his eyes. “Goodnight, Laurent.”

~~~

Damen knew he was late. It had taken longer than expected for him to work on Laurent’s replacement gift. He sped through a long hallway towards the courtyard, trying to look like a Prince at the same time. 

The servants around him bowed in his presence, but didn’t frown upon his near-running. Maybe they were used to Laurent running around, Damen wondered. 

He stepped outside and the first thing he noticed was Theomedes scratching his beard, next to his horse. Damen panicked for a second, until he saw Aleron mirroring his father. They seemed to be having a stare down. A good-natured one. 

Next to Theomedes, everyone and everything was ready to leave. They had all been waiting for Damen. He flushed at his own rudeness. 

“My boy!” Theomedes saw Damen standing in the doorway. “We were starting to worry you’d gotten lost somewhere.”

“My apologies, Father, the thing I wanted to do took longer than expected.” Damen admitted. 

“Did you finish it?” 

“Of course, Father. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.”

Theomedes nodded. “Good.”

Taking that as his cue, Damen walked up to Laurent. He offered the thing he was holding in his hands. It was the wooden horse he had been working on for the past few days. According to Damen himself, it was his best so far. Kastor would be proud of him if he could have seen it. 

“It’s for you, like I promised,” Damen smiled, “to replace the flower.”

Laurent’s eyes widened in wonder as he softly touched at the roughly carved head. 

“It’s really pretty.” Laurent couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

“It’s yours,” Damen said, feeling awkward with everyone’s attention on his wood-carving skills. 

Laurent embraced Damen, the top of his head not even reaching his shoulders. Damen hugged him back clumsily, in front of the other royals. 

“Thank you so much, this is the best gift I ever received.” Laurent said after he let go. 

Auguste made a sound. “What about all the gifts  _ I _ gave you?”

Laurent looked at him. “You’re my brother, you don’t count.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Tell me that next time I’m about to give you something,” Auguste threatened with a smile. 

“Okay,” Laurent shrugged. He flashed Damen a last bright smile before running to his father to show the wooden horse. 

Auguste took Laurent’s place. “I don’t know what you said to him and when, but this morning Laurent was asking where he could get one of those Akielon ‘dresses.’” 

“Oh no.” Damen paled. 

Auguste laughed. “Don’t worry about it. We promised him he could wear chiton if he still feels like it in the winter, when we visit Ios.” He unknowingly taught Damen the Veretian word for chiton. 

“In comparison to Vere, we have relatively warm winters, so he’s free to do whatever he likes. Not that I think anyone can stop him once he sets his eye on something.” 

“You’re right, most people don’t like refusing Laurent something he wants.”

“Are you coming too? To Ios I mean.” 

“That’s the plan, yes. Why do you ask?” 

“Then you’ll probably meet my brother, Kastor. I think you two would get along.” 

“We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we? If he’s anything like you, I’m sure we will.” Auguste winked. 

In that moment, Damen felt the urge to explain all the reasons why they were and weren’t similar to each other, but he suppressed it and just nodded in agreement. “I’ll see you soon then?” Damen reached out a hand. 

Auguste took it. “We’ll see you soon.”

Damen said goodbye to Aleron, while Theomedes said goodbye to the Veretian Princes. Having finished that, the whole Akielon company climbed upon their horses, Theomedes and Damen first, the rest followed. 

“You have been an amazing host these past few days and I hope we can recreate some of that hospitality when you come to Ios,” Theomedes spoke in a loud voice. 

Aleron bowed his head in thanks. Auguste merely looked at the horses as the Akielon delegation walked towards the gates. Laurent waved in a wild fashion with one hand, holding Damen’s gift in the other. 

Damen waved back, much to Laurent’s delight. 

Past the gates and out of Veretian earshot, Theomedes looked at his son. “What did you think of the Crown Prince?” 

“Auguste? He cares for his little brother, that much everyone can see,” Damen thought back to the loving looks Auguste gave Laurent without the younger Prince knowing. “I truly believe he will be a great king someday.” 

“I believe you.” Theomedes nodded, deep in thought. 

Damen looked back for the first time. The fort of Marlas was already disappearing in the high grass in front of it. “Father?”

“Yes, Damianos?”

“Is it bad that I like the Princes?”

“No. If anything, I’d encourage a friendship between the three of you.”

“And Kastor?” Damen frowned, confused why his Father would leave his older brother out of it. 

Theomedes sighed. “Kastor is currently doing things unrelated to our bond with Vere. I just hope he’ll come to his senses and support this alliance before my Brother King and his sons arrive in Ios.”

“I’m sure he will.” Damen figured it wouldn’t do any harm if he tried to talk to his brother. Maybe. “I can’t wait.”

“This is a new age, my son, and you’re lucky enough to be a part of it.” 

Damen felt lucky. He couldn’t wait until they arrived home and could tell Nikandros and Kastor all about the Princes of Vere. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! (I enjoyed it a lot btw ^^) If you did enjoy it, please consider leaving kudos, or even a comment(!) and know that I'll love you forever when you do~ 
> 
> (follow me on tumblr for more crying about Captive Prince: [orangelies](http://orangelies.tumblr.com))
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Have a pleasant day, and hopefully I'll see you at my next cp drabble :D


End file.
